


Love at first Blitz

by Fangirling_mental_disorder



Category: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan
Genre: Floof, Fluff, Fuckin' Fluffy Mondays, M/M, My First Fanfic, Period-Typical Homophobia, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:21:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23749066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirling_mental_disorder/pseuds/Fangirling_mental_disorder
Summary: Just a cute Blitzstone story. Very fluffy. It's my first fic so chill. It's not oneshots, it's an ongoing story.
Relationships: Blitzen/Hearthstone, Magnus Chase/Alex Fierro
Comments: 44
Kudos: 21





	1. An Apple a Day...

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic, I'm sorry if it sucks, I'm only 12 please don't hate. Shout out to my best friend who got me into the series. Hope you enjoy, I'll post more if you do! Also all rights go to Rick Riordan except the OC's that will come in soon in the next few chapters. I DON'T OWN ANYTHING BUT OC'S!!!  
> Love,  
> Lyss

BLITZSTONE (BLITZ X HEARTH)

HEARTH POV

You okay? I signed to Blitz, who seemed to be crying under his sun-protection net. We were in Midgard, so he didn’t need it too much, and the sun was going down, so he probably didn’t really need it. Still, I suspected he was wearing it to cover up the tears streaming down Blitz’s face. I was worried about my boyfriend, he didn’t usually act like this.

I’m fine. Great. Wonderful! Blitz signed. One of the downfalls of sign language is that you can’t really tell when someone is being sarcastic, though I know Blitz well enough to guess that he’s not. Those are tears of joy. I smile, understanding that he won’t tell me why he’s so excited. I am content to wait, as my Blitzen, just like any good dwarf, can’t keep a secret for too long, not without harm to the dwarf in context. I’ll call a cab if you’d like, and we can drive home Blitz signed at me. I shake my head and sign, walk, less cost, better for the environment. Which basically means, I want more alone time and longer time with Blitz. Many people would prefer to be alone at their house together, but us dwarfs and elves don’t take the same pleasures as humans do. We would never do something so versatile for fun.

I grasp Blitz’s hand and pull out a rune to make his suit appear back at the Chase Space. He smiles warmly at me and leans his head on my shoulder. An elderly couple looks down at us with a sneer, which both of us unconsciously reply back with a bright smile in their direction, making us both laugh.

“Hearth? I’m sorry about your brother. And before you say you're over it, I know, I know, but I kinda just sensed that you were thinking about him,” Blitz seemed to say though I can never be 100% sure. The power of context when reading lips is important. Thanks. I understand the feeling. Don’t worry about it I sign to Blitz. They smiled at each other, and practically skipped back to the Chase Place.  
**TIMESKIP A FEW HOURS LATER CUZ HELPING KIDS**

I was lying next to Blitz in our room on the couch, thinking random thoughts while he was trying to read the Hunger Games. I close my eyes and lean my head up against Blitz’s shoulder. He gives me a light peck on the head and rested his chin there. Hey, Blitz, can I have some food? I signed. He gave me this look like, get it yourself, then proceeded to tell me exactly that in sign language, which I responded to by crossing my arms and putting on a pouting face. Blitz sighed, reaching around me to set his book down on the coffee table, giving me a glare that he couldn’t keep up with a smile that was hidden behind the glare tugging at his lips.

I silently laughed and gave him two thumbs-ups, a sure sign in ASL that you wish someone luck or thank them greatly. “Honestly Hearth, you can’t get up for food anymore?” Blitzen mouthed, or rather, probably said. He seemed to think his lips were out of my sight range, which dragged me into yet another fit of silent giggles.

I can still see your lips, Blitz. And can’t we pass it off as grieving for my father and brother? I joked in ASL, though he could tell there was some truth to it simply by the use of his name. Names are used only for highly respected and loved people, and even then only occasionally. The sign for ‘Blitz’ is the ‘b’ symbol-four fingers held up, thumb across palm-touching the corner of one’s lip and jerking outwards, then doing the ‘z’ symbol-literally just drawing a z in the air. At least, that’s my personal sign for his name, there are different variations of it.

“I guess we can,” Blitzen sighs. Sighing really makes it hard to read lips. I mean, he could’ve said ‘I guess me ban’ or ‘I press le nan’ or some other random thing. In fact, I saw ‘I guess me ban’, but through the powers of guesswork, figured it out. You’re welcome. “Still, I don’t mind. We both know that,” I see Blitz say. He busies himself with making me something to eat. Magnus comes in saying hi to me on the way to the kitchen, behind the wall. The idiots they are, they’re probably talking in hushed tones, murmuring even though I can’t hear them. It really is annoying, to not be in the room with someone and know they’re talking, as a deaf person. It’s like people purposefully don’t want you to hear something. Which I’m sure is true right now, even though I don’t know what they would hide from me.  
After 10 minutes of endless daydreaming, of which won’t be described here, though I will say they involved Blitz. No, not like that. Perverts. Finally, Magnus leaves the kitchen beaming at everything and nothing. When he turns to me his smile grows even larger, if that’s possible. I squint at him, extremely confused. He just waves and walks out the door, though I hear him slap down right outside of it. I shake my head.

Suddenly, I see an apple coming up towards me and notice a glimmer before catching it out of habit. I feel something sharp digging into my skin and, looking down, I see a beautiful diamond ring. It has two small diamonds on it, one light and tall, the other dark and small, clearly symbolizing Blitz and I. I suddenly understand why Magnus was smiling so much. I myself couldn't stop beaming, covering my mouth with my hands. I jumped up and down for joy.

Blitz came in, beaming in turn at my reaction. He dropped to one knee, and, in perfect ASL, signed Hearthstone, will you do the honor of marrying me?

I can’t describe how deep my elation was, is, and frankly, I wouldn't if I could. I vigorously nodded my head, and, three months later, here we are, standing at the altar. I can't hear Alex Fierro, who somehow ended up officiating the service, but I can tell what she's saying. I see Blitzen mouth-say- I do. My own lips move along with my hands, without a second's hesitation.

I do. The best words I've ever had the pleasure to sign, to mouth. I didn't use a rune to make myself speak. I knew everyone would rather me be myself.Blitz leans forward gently, and I pull him to me, kissing him gently but passionately. We pull apart and grab each other's hands, beginning our parade down the aisle. For the rest of the night, we celebrate with Floor 19, Sam, the ghost of my brother, and every one staying at the Chase Space. And the entire time, my hand doesn't separate from Blitz’s. In other words, happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG Thanks for reading this everyone. It's so bad, but if it makes people happy I will post more. I honestly expected no kudos at all, but seriously THANK YOU!!!!!!! My best friend and I are having a dance party over Skype because of a few hits and one kudos.  
> Love,  
> Lyss


	2. A New House, a New Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blitz thinks that he has everything in the world, until a new package arrives at the door, causing him to rethink everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All rights belong to Rick Riordan. I hope you all enjoy!  
> Love  
> Lyss

BLITZ POV

I remember asking Hearth like it was yesterday. I remember the altar even better. That was the best day of my life, closely followed by these past three months as a married couple. We finally, after lots of discussion, have settled down in a house of our own, though we spend most of our time at the Chase Space still. I spend lots of my free time just going over the best days of my life. Right now, I’m thinking about how lucky I am to have Magnus as a friend. He’s the one who convinced me to ask Hearth out.

TIMESKIP BACK TO BLITZ AND MAGNUS’S CONVO ABOUT PROPOSAL

“Hey dude,” Magnus said, coming into the kitchen behind me. “You gonna do it today? You could, like, give him the food, then be like ‘So, you wanna marry me?’ or something,” Magnus chuckles. 

I shook my head, laughing along. “And this is why Alex spent so long debating if she-right, Alex was a girl last I checked,” I pause until he nods in confirmation. “If she would date you. And why you are never going to propose, Alex will. You’ll say yes, but not before making sure it’s not a trick,” I finished, laughing my ass off. 

“True enough, but we’re talking about you, not me,” he punches my arm lightly. “C’mon, you gotta do it at some point. I’ve been holding this thing forever. Seriously, dude, just do it,” Magnus whispered. I seriously question his IQ levels sometimes. Hearth is deaf. He’s not gonna hear anything we say. 

“I’ll think about it,” I said, holding out my hand for the ring he’s been holding. He handed it to me without complaint, then walked straight out the door, beaming. He doesn’t even say anything to Hearth, just walks out of the ‘apartment’, slamming the door shut and seemingly sitting down right outside the door. I grab an apple, shove the ring into it’s skin, and try to steal my nerves. Once I do, I don’t bother with walking over and handing it to him, I know I would have lost the nerve. I tossed the apple towards him, knowing for a fact he would catch it. Then, in a blur I hardly remember, and certainly can’t explain, I asked Hearth to marry me. The only thing I really remember about the day is how Magnus, as soon as Hearth said yes, slammed open the door and ran into our home, snatching us both up in his arms for a group hug. Soon enough, pretty much everyone in the building was there, hugging us. We ended up on their shoulders,holding hands, parading around the street for all to see. Good times.

**TIMESKIP BACK TO REAL TIME**

Sitting on the corner of the couch, reading the Lord of the Rings. I swear he’s reading really fast. Or maybe I’m just really caught up in what I’m doing. Except, all I’m doing is staring at him like he’s my savior. Well, for one, he kind of is my savior, and secondly, staring at him is enough to occupy my attention. In fact, I’m sure that at least half an hour passed before I heard the doorbell of our new house ring. That was on our wish list. And a lock. Nobody but Alex and Sam ever even knocked at our old place. Now they have to, although we have a spare key hidden in a ziploc bag inside a small hole under a rock, for emergencies ONLY, as we told the others.

We had had a wish list that we thought was like any other. In fact, our needing an easy exit from all places in the house, at least two extra bedrooms not for us, a doorbell, and a spiral staircase leading to the basement, so we could defend our home easily, were not, in fact, normal. Most people wanted ocean views, 3 bedrooms, a fireplace, a nice backyard, and a pool, not an easy defensive position. But we got everything we wanted. Surprisingly enough, the hardest one was the doorbell. I guess most people don’t need those in Boston. Huh.

Anyways, when the doorbell rang, I snapped out of my daze, shaking out my head. I stood to get the door finding Hearth already there. How, I can’t pretend to know, but that’s not the point. He’s staring at whatever’s in front of him, which, as the dwarf in this relationship, I could not see. I ducked under the arm he was using to prop open the door. I couldn’t tell if it was the best or worst decision of my life. No, the worst decision was becoming Mimir’s servant. This, this was something different. Wonderful. Excruciating. But mostly different. See Hearth, I know big words. This, in front of me, was….wow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the cliff hanger but it had to be done. Also sorry that this was so short. The next chapter will be out this week, I promise. Damn, I'm treating this like a lot of people care. Well, post soon!  
> Love  
> Lyss


	3. Perfection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The surprise waiting at the door was a special package that was definitely NOT expected. However, Blitz and Hearth couldn't be mors happy to go through their life with this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, sorry I didn't post yesterday, I had a lot of school work. All characters accept my OC's, Sophie and Holly, belongs to Rick Riordan. Thanks for creating such wonderful worlds to mess with, Uncle Rick! We love you. And thanks to everyone who read, commented on, and left kudos for my works!!!  
> Love  
> Lyss

My mouth is wide open as I stare at the two little girls standing in front of the door. One has a pretty little light blue dress on, pink slip-ons with calf high white socks, a white braided belt where the torso part of the dress ended and the skirt began, and, to top it off, a brilliant white ribbon tying her hair into a ponytail. It was adorable. The other had a plain black T-Shirt, a knee-length navy skirt, a short denim jean jacket, and black doc martens. (If wanted I will write a chapter that just explains more info about both girls) In her hair was a black ribbon holding her ponytail. Both shared beautiful auburn hair, blue eyes with golden flecks, and really the same general face. I realized with a start they were twins.

I glanced up and down the street, looking for the person who left their beautiful children on our porch. Attempting the hide behind our mailbox, I see two shapes pushing each other. One has short green hair, the other blonde. Hearth and I share a look. He nods towards them and starts to sign something before shaking his head and pointing at me, then at Alex and Magnus at the mailbox, telling me to call out to them. I do as he asks. “Hey! Alex, Magnus! Did you do this? Take them back to their parents. You have to!” I shout at them, annoyed. They both look at us guiltily. 

“They stopped by today and we couldn't bear to see them without parents. They told us they lived by themselves, no parents. We brought them here cause we thought you'd take care of them. If not, Magnus and I will. But we'd rather have you do it,” Alex muttered against our ears once he reached us. We both nodded our heads vigorously. In fact, I almost tripped over myself trying to reach the girls to put a protective arm around each girl’s shoulder.

“Of course. What are their names?” I asked, my voice squeaking. At pretty much the same time, Hearth signed the ASL version of what I had said. Basically the same thing, but with no filler words, so it was Yes. Names? ASL gets straight to the point. 

“Sophie and Holly,” Magnus said, signing along for Hearth’s benefit. He indicated that Sophie was the girl in the dress, Holly the girl in black. Instantly I loved them equally. I stared at both with such adoration that I thought I might burst. Hearth too had eyes for only them. We each picked up a girl and brought them inside, beaming. We gave them a short tour of the house, then settled down together on the couch. Sophie was playing with Hearth’s book, struggling to read it. These girls couldn’t be more than six, but not only did they live on the streets, they could read, even if they struggled. 

I have to go to the Chase Space to help out, I promised. Take care of the kids? Hearth signed. I nodded and gave him a thumbs up. He smiled and headed out of the house. I grabbed a random book off the table. The Unwanteds. Never heard of it, but it had a cover that made me think it was a children's book.

“Hey, Sophie, Holly! Do you guys like to read?” I asked them.

“Ya, Daddy! Can I call you that? What about the elf? What do I call him?” Holly questioned. I laughed, even as I realized that they knew what they were talking about. I took them in again and realized that, like Magnus, Alex, Sam, and all the demigods I had ever met, they both radiated a bit of godly presence. I usually didn’t notice, as a demigod myself, but when I met any demigod of a powerful, main god, I noticed it. I kind of saw how they were glowing at first, but I thought that was because I was so happy. But it wasn’t, was it? They’re demigods, too. For a second, I wonder exactly which god, but then push it to the back of my mind. I don’t need to know that. Suddenly I realize that I’m zoning out and need to respond.

“Sure, sweety. Or dad. And Hearth-the elf-can be, um, Papa! Yes, he’s Papa. Ok? I’ll read to you now if you want me to,” I croaked nervously, hoping Hearth wouldn’t kill me later. I blocked all thoughts but those about my darlings and the book out of my mind at that point. Turns out, the book was about misfit kids who were creative in a society that hated creativity. They had magic. Basically, it was a metaphor for racism, but the girls loved it. I read it for hours to them, until the very end of the book. They clapped and cried and cheered at the right parts.

Finally, halfway through the last chapter, as the girls were about to fall asleep, but really tried to pretend they weren’t tired at all because they wanted to hear the end of the book, Hearth walked straight through the door. I put my finger to my lips, which Holly didn’t notice, as she was draped over the couch so sleepily that it seemed like she would crash as soon as she could. Her will seemed to make her stay awake. Sophie seemed to be a bit more of a night owl, a little more awake. She smiled when Hearth came into her view. As I was next to Holly, Hearth sat next to Sophie and draped his arm over Sophie’s shoulders. Sophie smiled and leaned her head on Hearth’s shoulder. Seeing it made my heart give a little twist.

I quickly finished the story, which had both girls attempting to clap. I smiled and shared a look. Let’s put them to bed in the bunk bed room. That’ll be theirs from now on. Help me? Hearth signed. I signed my agreements, then picked up Holly, which required way too much effort. Hearth picked up Sophie, and the four of us made our way to one of our two spare bedrooms. Hearth climbed his way up the ladder to the top bunk, taking care not to bump the girl in his arms. Like that, he looked exactly like the Papa I promised them. I smiled, setting my girl down on her new bed. As I watched her, as I watched them all, as I watched Hearth climb down the steps to grab my hand and watch our new daughters, I realized just how ok, just how happy, just how perfect my life would be, so long as I had them in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If people want more info about Sophie and Holly, comment and tell me. Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it.   
> Love  
> Lyss


	4. Want a house? It comes with homophobia!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a flashback to after the wedding but before they moved into their new house and adopted their daughters. Blitz and Hearth struggle to find the perfect house, and to make matters worse, their real-estate agent is homophobic and racist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all, sorry this took so long to post, but I was running low on ideas, and when it finally did come to me, I extended it a lot, so at least it's a long chapter. There is some homophobia, which is sad but necessary, so that I can make sure you all know THIS IS A REAL ISSUE!!! I myself have been chased down the street by someone holding a knife and screaming insults at me, just for holding my girlfriends hand. So please don't even joke about that stuff, not even just saying 'ha, that's gay'. Hope quarantine is treating you all well! All rights accept for my OC's go to Uncle Rick  
> Love  
> Lyss

BLITZ POV

**Timeskip back to when they were looking for the house**

“Ok, I think I may have the perfect fit. On the first try, too!” Pitched the overzealous real estate agent. He had been the one to deal with us when we were explaining exactly what we needed:  
An easy exit from all places in the house  
At least two extra bedrooms not for us  
A doorbell  
A spiral staircase leading to the basement, so we could defend our home easily  
An old vibe (I’m sorry I couldn’t resist)

We had tortured the man to no end while he explained that people didn't need doorbells in Boston, they had old fashioned knockers. Hearth and I had known that Magnus and the others, especially Alex, would completely ignore a knocker, or anything that seemed old. That was why we wanted an older vibe. It’s not that we didn’t want the others around, it’s that we don’t want them to stay around forever. Older stuff is all they deal with, being Norse, so it helps them to not spend all their days here. Of course, everyone is welcome here if they need it, and, just in case, they know where our spare key is. But when they could, they rang the doorbell.

Anyways, the man pulled into the driveway of a colonial house on a street of more colonial houses all painted in various pastel colors, light yellows, greens, blues, pinks, and purples. This one was light green, with an American flag on the front porch like half a dozen other porches on the court. Hearth and I smiled at each other. It was a pretty house, not perfect, but cute. It seemed quite possibly too big for us, though. Sure enough, when we walked in-after passing the doorbell, the first test-the vast expanse of the ‘living room’ seemed endless. There were walls in sight, of course, but they were very far off and, according to the map placed at the entrance for possible buyers, just led to the sitting room and parlor. So, more living rooms. Both Hearth and I gaped, and when I glanced over at him, he signed NO. He ended the sentence with a fist, trying to impose the point. I nodded my agreements.

“Isn’t it a beauty? 1797 home, but no led paint and recently remodeled. 7 bedroom, 6 ½ bath. 6,000 square feet. Price of $915,000. Great bargain. A bit above your price range, but easily worth it,” said the agent. I gaped at him. A little bit over?! Our price limit was $300,000. 

“Um, no thanks. This is NOT what we’re looking for. We need a few extra rooms, not six. And one or two bathrooms would suffice. Hearth agrees,” I uncomfortably smile, grabbing Hearth’s hand. The real estate agent smiles forcefully and spins on his heel.

“Of course. Too big. Good to know. I’ll pick out another one that might work better, and we’ll meet at Fadlan’s Falafel again. Sounds good?” He asks us, forcing a smile to cover his annoyed look. It’s not as if we had looked at any homes before this one, I didn’t understand what he was so mad about.

“Listen here, you shouldn’t be getting annoyed at us, this is our first house that we’ve looked at. You can’t just-” Hearth cut me off with a sharp hand to my mouth and a Look. The kind of Look that deserved a capital ‘l’. The kind of Look that said shut up or I’m going to kill you and then revive you so that I can put you in the mouth of Yggdrasil’s squirrel. I agreed and shut up, wisely. Hearth nodded his thankfulness that I agreed and understood. I smiled in return.

Please find a more sensible possibility. Hearth signed, the picturesque of calm. The agent smiled, only half getting what Hearth was saying but choosing to talk to him over me. Fair enough. We walked down the driveway to where the agent's car sat. We both looked at it for a moment, before walking straight passed it and strolling down the street. We walk over seven miles to get to the Chase Space, but it’s worth it. It means we don’t have to depend on the real estate agent to do things for us. When we get back to our ‘apartment’, Hearth signs Blitz, you can’t freak at him. He’s not from Midgard, he’s an elf. He’s already recognized you as a demigod, which made him realize you’re a dwarf. The only thing stopping him from attacking is that I’m supposedly a human. He can’t suspect otherwise. So calm down. He says, glaring at me.

“Alright, but for the record this is going to be very hard,” I say. He nods in mock sympathy. I make a face at him, then gave in and smile at him. He wraps his arm around my shoulders, and I lean my head onto his side in consent. We collapse on the couch, curling up into each other. He curls tightly into a ball and I curl around him, resting my chin on his head, turning my face down to press a quick kiss to his hair before taking in his scent. Earthly and fresh, like he spent a day in the forest, but only the good smells came out of it. I smile, and we spend the rest of the night like this. 

“Alright, you thought the last one was too big, so I found a smaller one. It fits most of your requirements, but it only has two bedrooms, and it’s a bit newer than the last one. Sounds good so far?” the agent asks us the next day, in his car driving to the house he’s about to show us. Hearth and I have a quick sign language conversation and deem it ok for the others (namely Alex and Magnus, who are pretty much the only ones who sometimes have to stay at our place) to sleep together. We nod our agreements, and I pray to Odin that everything works out well. “Ok, so two bedrooms, 1 bathroom, quaint and small, 1998, $50,000,” he says. Hearth and I look at each other, finding this offer too good to be true. “Let’s see, am I missing anything? Hmmm…oh, yes, of course!” he snaps his fingers. “It’s 446 square feet. Perfect, right?” he states as though it is merely a bit small, not, like, tiny.

“Ahhh, and here we are now! The wondrous new home for you two, or so I hope,” He pitches to us. The street is filled with mismatched homes of all shapes and sizes. The one we’re parked in front of isn’t even the smallest. Ours is, however, the ugliest. Dark brown with a matching tiled roof, a bright yellow door frame, and oddly shaped, with not-level purple stained windows scrambled randomly around. We get out of the car, parked on the street due to a lack of driveway, and attempt to walk inside. Hearth gets it about halfway open, before it gets jammed. “Oh, you either have to put up the table before you leave or just go through the half open door. Guess they left the table down,” the real estate agent laughs, casting his eyes down at me and giving me a forceful smile paired with a glare. I look away and slip through the crack. 

Looking around, I see that the kitchen has a small table for two, maybe three, and a few miniature sized appliances, as well as small cabinets strategically taking up the upper space. I open one and see four shelves, and, in the corners, one of those cool spinning shelves. Passing the kitchen, the tiny living room stretches beyond us. It has a small couch, a TV, and a coffee table on top of a rug. I glance to the left, where I can see a curtain hanging around a small corner, with a ladder next to it. Hearth goes over to inspect the curtain. Before he opens it, he signs no matter what it is, no storming out. We have to be polite and seem nice. He doesn’t wait for me to respond before hurling open the curtain to show a small toilet, shower, and sink with a mirror and one cabinet there. We both curl our noses in disgust, but say nothing. 

Finally, we go up the ladder to see one large room, slanted with the curve of the roof, split with a thick white curtain. Which would have served its purpose if the ladder didn’t go straight up into where the curtain was, so that in front of me, I could see the curtain, but to either side I could openly see each bedroom. It doesn’t matter if people see us laying in bed, it’s not like we do anything, but if, per se, Alex and Magnus were to come over, well, they don’t seem to be able to keep their hands off each other, even in front of us. I shudder to think of what they do behind closed doors. Hearth comes up behind me. We both pretend to look around, having a short conversation through a mix of ASL and looks, which goes a bit like this.

This can’t actually be happening. Who would do this with a house? They could have just made one room slightly smaller! I sign.

Hearth sighs. I really want to slap you right now. Once we’re outside we’ll just politely say no. He signs, smacking my leg lightly.

Can’t we just fix it? C’mon, I know I’m not a house designer, but I honestly would give up fashion if there are houses like this.

Chill, Blitz. You say it yourself to Magnus all the fucking time. You can’t fix everything.

But this isn’t everything. I can fix this.

No, you can’t. We’ll give this guy one more shot, but if he pulls some shit like this again, thinking we’re just gonna deal with it, we find a new real-estate-agent. Good enough for you?

Fine I sign to him, just as we begin doubling back to leave the house. This time, the agent hadn’t followed us in, probably expecting us to run back out again. He smiles at Hearth while giving me a death glare. Suddenly I am acutely aware of the size difference between the two of us. Thankfully, I always carry a few weapons on me at all times, because I would lose bad in a fist fight, if it came to that. 

“So, did you like it? I noticed you lasted a lot longer in there than the last house,” He comments, giving a forced chuckle. We both laugh nervously, too. 

Thanks, but we didn’t like it very much. You gave us two extremes, could you try for a midpoint? Hearth signs, smiling, before noticing the mans’ confused frown as he looks at Hearth like he’s insane. Hearth realizes and tries to mouth what he had previously signed, to which the man squints. Hearth sighs, clearly thinking this guy was an idiot. As a last resort, he tries using his hands to make general words. He smiles brightly, then gestures to both me and himself, shakes his head, and points at the house. He then points at the agents, pulls both hands toward us, flashes two fingers, mimes an explosion and being surprised, then holds out his hands so that they make a sort of horizontal line. He pulls them both together and nods at them, then turns his head in a question. Somehow, the man seems to get that.

“Got it. Sorry, where I come from we don’t exactly… have your kind,” the agent says, wrinkling his nose. Fuck him. I just forced a smile and balled my fists. Hearth grabbed my arm and hauled me into the backseat of the agent’s car. Most of the ride was silent, until we were close to the restaurant we had met up at earlier. “Sorry if I offended anyone by saying that. I just mean, people who are mute are very uncommon where I come from. I’ve actually never met one. There was this man who had a son who was deaf, but I never met the kid. I do know that he had him carry around a blackboard to write on. Do people usually do that, or do you learn sign language usually?” The man seemed genuinely curious. Still, Hearth was staring angrily down at his feet.

“Um, Hearth’s deaf, so he didn’t understand all of that. It’s a sore subject for both of us. Actually, can you just pull over here and let us out? Thanks!” I add, walking down the street to the Chase Space. 

“Hey! You left your… runes. Do you do magic? Does the human know?” the real-estate agent calls. We both turn our heads sharply and, seeing Hearth’s runestone sack in his hands, look at each other and both sigh.

“Oh, those are toys. Bringing them to this homeless shelter for kids. They love new toys. Just toss them over and we’ll be on our way,” I mumble, trying to come up with at least a half-truth. He does toss them to Hearth, who turns to stalk away.

“Wait! I was thinking that you guys could take a look at the next house on your own. I’ll write down the address for you and you can do it whenever. Actually I have it right here,” the agent shouts. Hearth quickly signs something about being careful, and we turn back around to face him and walk briskly over to where he is standing, fishing for the paper. I squint my eyes, he doesn’t seem to be looking for a piece of paper, his hands grasping way too largely and forcefully, in a way that would crumple any papers. Finally, he finds what he’s looking for with an “Aha!” Sharply, he yanks around, swinging a long dagger, almost a sword straight towards my stomach. Hearth pulls me back just in time, so it slices through my shirt cleanly and grazes my stomach. 

“You REALLY thought I would let you get away with living in Midgard? You’re a dwarf! You could never. And a filthy demigod, too. And courting an elf! The nerve! You must be accomplished with those runes to have EVER been able to sway the superior kind. I really thought he was a human, which alone would be horrible, as a gay. Humans and dwarfs deserve each other, at least. Both lesser beings. But to be GAY?! Horrid! Unthinkable! Even humans agree! But to be gay with an elf?! And for said elf, said HIGHER BEING to be a DEAF GAY, courting a DWARF?!?!!! MONSTERS! I’LL KILL YOU BOTH AND SEND YOU TO HELHEIM!” the agent rampaged. I was taken aback. Sure, people were homophobic sometimes, but it was just dirty looks and death glares, maybe the occasional sneer or “You’re tainting god’s spirit with that” when we held hands or put an arm across each other's shoulders. Surely, people weren’t that against being gay! They had their qualms, but they can go fuck themselves. We shouldn’t be murdered for it.

Hearth, however, was completely cool-headed through the man-no, elf’s-entire speech. Once he finishes the horrid speech, Hearth calmly pulls a rune out of his rucksack, and he doesn’t need to sign anything for me to get his message. We fight. We don’t back down. I pull out an Expand-o-Duck, but wait to let Hearth make the first move. Which is a good idea, as his rune turns out to be an ice rune, very powerful at the moment, since it’s winter. In fact, it freezes the agent over entirely in a block of ice. I throw my Expand-o-Duck on top of him, pressing the button, and it smashes him and the ice into a million pieces, which we brush onto the side of the road, where the pieces are covered by the snow there. Serves him for being so fucking homophobic.

Again, Hearth is the smart one, going over to check the glove box and indeed finding a list of three houses, two of which we have already been to. The third and final one doesn’t have a picture, but the information makes it seem perfect. Two bathrooms, three bedrooms, everything but a doorbell that's on our list is apparently included, 1876, and it’s 2,564 square feet, priced at $125,000. The asshole had the perfect house and was just enjoying seeing us get mad. Bitch signs Hearth, who usually doesn’t swear much. I put a hand on one of his shoulders.

We should check it out now, see if we want it. The sooner the better, right? I sign, steering him in the direction of the house, only about four blocks away from here, eight from the Chase Space, and maybe nine from Valhalla, going the fastest way, not passing the Chase Space. He nods firmly, setting off with me.

When we reach the house, we both know it’s perfect the instant we see it. It has a quaint front yard, with a stepping stone path in between a pretty grass lawn, with flowers on the outside edges of the lawn, with bushes in front of the yard, parting for the pathway of stepping stones, which led up to an overhang, something close to a porch, with a small swing couch and a pretty door, with a window in the middle and the actual door painted black. It seemed like a quaint house, very colonial. There was no garage or driveway, which was perfect because it gave us places to hide in our front yard. And places to hide things. We both put one foot on the first stepping stone at the same time. I let Hearth go first, and we practically skipped up the stones. Hearth opened the door, and what he saw made the elf beam. I peeked around him and saw an average sized living room with wooden floors, two couches and a few armchairs set up in a 'U' like shape, a coffee table in the middle, some end tables, and a little sign hanging off the coffee table saying "Live with peace, love with sleep". It was perfect.

We walked into the kitchen, which had a large double door shaped hole in the wall leading to it. To the right of the entrance was a window-like opening with a curtain covering it. Through a quick inspection we found that there was a backdoor there, as well as all of the necessary appliances to make sure our lives weren't miserable. We checked out the rest of the house, finding doors or large windows to outside in all of the rooms. One of the bedrooms had bunk beds, another had a slightly bigger than twin sized bed, and the final, the master, had a queen bed, practically fitted for us. 

A note was posted on the master bedroom door with the phone number for the owners, which we dialed right away. We told them we would pay the full price upfront if we got the house within the month. And it worked, two and a half weeks later, we were fully moved into our new home, and had even installed a doorbell, which the others actually used when they came by to congratulate us once we had settled in. In fact, all of them came at once, shouting "Surprise!" In our faces, which made even Hearth cringe. Then Alex tossed green and pink confetti into the air, and suddenly we were hosting a party. Or, really, Alex and Magnus were hosting a party, using our house as a place to host. After a long night, Hearth and I collapsed outside onto the swinging bench on the porch, falling asleep with our heads on each other's shoulders, curled up together, before we could even sign a word.

That bench is where I sit now, retelling the very story to my wonderful daughters. Sophie and Holly each sit curled up on either side of me, yawning. Around the part where we fought the real-estate agent, Hearth had come out and slung his arm around Sophie and me, nodding to confirm the story. And yet again, I fall asleep entirely happily with my family, but this time I'm even more happy and fulfilled, because I get to share the wonderful experience with my daughters. My final thought, as I drift off, is this is even better than that night...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this was a bit longer for all of you who like long chapters. When I looked at the other chapters on my computer I was annoyed at how short they were. I'm sorry if it's bad, and that it took me so long to post. Comments, kudos, and prompts are all appreciated! Anyone can PM me at any time if they are going through a rough spot, which a lot of us are during quarantine. Anyways, thanks for the love! Hope you all enjoyed!  
> Love  
> Lyss


	5. The Time for Devils and Angels Alike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's really short and a lot of fluff with no dialogue because I was lazy, but no one in the Blitzstone household can sleep. It's 3 am and they decide to go downstairs for some hot chocolate. They don't expect to have the best night ever, and yet I needed some fluff in my life, so they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry this chapter is so short, I just needed some fluff in my life mixed into the angst, so I wrote some. All characters accept OC'S belong to Uncle Rick. Hope you enjoy!  
> Love  
> Lyss

HEARTHS POV

3 am. The devil's hour. The time where monsters came out. The evil time. The time to never be awake. The time to sleep. The time we’re warned against since we’re children. The worst hour of the night. 3 am. I must be a horrible parent, I think. But standing in the kitchen with Sophie Holly, and Blitz is the best thing that’s ever happened.

I stand in our average kitchen, holding Sophie, who’s trying to pretend she’s not tired. She’s failing miserably, leaning her head against my chest. I smile and plant a kiss on her forehead, watching as her eyelids flutter in a last desperate attempt to stay awake. But what truly startles her awake is her sister’s laughter. Blitz must have said something funny to her, because she’s sitting on the counter, giggling into her hands hysterically and kicking her legs furiously. Blitz is profusely smiling, just as loving of our daughters as I am. Sophie and Holly, in their twin-tuition way, suddenly start crying. Clearly, it’s fake, but we humor them anyways. I hand Sophie over to Blitz, and Holly hops into my arms. Both stop crying and begin giggling.

I could never have a more perfect family. The day had been rough on all of us, Sophie and Holly had gone to school for the first time, and to make matters worse, they were in separate classes. Both had been teased and made fun of for their lack of knowledge in school smarts, though both knew ten times as much in terms of everything else. Holly in particular had been singled out, for her outfit. She had come home and studied the entire day. 

Blitz and I had gone to the Chase Space to help out and had been just getting there when we saw a girl walk across the street, oblivious to the car speeding toward her. It had tried to slow down, but hadn’t in time, and he hit the poor darling. She-Vivi- had been coming with her best friend-Rocco- for a few weeks now. They didn’t always stay the night, but everyone knew and loved them. Vivi was taken to a hospital by an ambulance. Within the hour, we were informed of her death. Apparently she had seen a man come in and walk over to attempt to steal blood and who knows what else. She had grabbed a pocket knife and fought him, dying not from his blade, but from making her injuries worse. I hope she got into Valhalla, that poor girl deserved it. As for Rocco, he was found in their room, with a deep gash in his neck. He had bled to death. As I said, rough day.

But, when we finally made the girls go to bed with us at 10:00 pm, none of us could sleep. Blitz and I had been tossing and turning for hours, and down the hall, he had said he heard our daughters doing the same, so about half an hour ago we went to check on them. We decided to have some hot chocolate, then go back to bed. Instead of microwaving it, though, we were boiling water on the stove. By now, it was probably overwhelming with boils, but no one really cared. Holly attempts to sign something, but gives up and gives me a big hug and kisses my forehead. Then we’re all in a group hug, and I’m kissing Blitz, and the world has never been better. I know that whatever happens to us all, we will still have these moments. No matter what, we will all be ok.

3 am. The angelic time. The time for family. The love time. The best time of the day. The time that miracles happen. The time that lovers arise. The time that bonds are created. The time for love and affection and all things good. 3 am. My favorite time. 3 am. 3 am.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm sorry this is so short. By the way, do you have anything in common with them? Like, per se, the fact that it's almost definitely 3 am for everyone reading this. It's all good though, cause honestly same. If anyone has any prompts, I'm willing to write them! I do fluff along with smut. Thanks for all the kudos and comments, I appreciate them, as well as bookmarks. (Lol, self advertising much?). Hope you're all doing well in the wonderful land of quarantine.  
> Love  
> Lyss


	6. Yggdrisil in Quarantine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fast forward a few months, and suddenly it's May 2020. All of the 9 worlds have officially enacted stay at home orders, and the dead at Valhalla cannot leave the building, they are carriers of the virus. So Blitz convinces Hearth to bring their daughters with them on a trip to visit our favorite Floor 19 inhabitants. Damn I hate that squirrel though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, sorry it took me so long to post, I've been busy with school work and I couldn't post yesterday since it was Mother's Day. Sorry it's so short, I wrote it on amy brother's phone which made me think it was longer than it actually was. All rights accept those of my OC's, Sophie and Holly, go to Uncle Rick.  
> Love  
> Lyss

Blitz POV

“Hey, Hearth, you know how Magnus and the others are stuck at Valhalla?” I pause speaking until seeing a nod to confirm that Hearth could see me and understood, then continue “I thought we could visit them and bring the girls. We can’t go anywhere else to meet up, I just heard news that the coronavirus has officially caused all 9 worlds to close things down. The dead aren’t allowed to leave their residence because they could spread it,” I see skepticism in his face, so I add “We’ll bring masks, stay 6 feet apart. But Sophie and Holly haven’t met Floor 19, and they keep asking. We can walk to the world tree and climb it, that way we get some exercise on the way.” I can see I’ve won him over by the look on his face, even before he nods.

GET THE GIRLS. I’M GOING TO FOLD SOME BANDANAS INTO MASKS FOR US, Hearth signs. I nod, and we each head to our assigned task. We have to refold the masks every time we use them because we wash them after each use (the experts say that’s the best thing we can do), and we don’t go out very often, so we don’t need them all that often. 

When I reach the stairs, I holler “Girls! Come here!” I hear some shuffling before both leave their room and skip towards me, smiling. “We’re going on a little trip to Hotel Valhalla, to visit some friends. Magnus, Alex, Halfborn, Mallory, and TJ live there. Get on clothes for the cold,” I tell them. They start jumping up and down and clasp hands

“Ok, daddy!” Sophie beams. She and Holly, still holding hands, shuffle up the stairs and run down the hall to their bedroom. A few minutes later, both came out decked in warm clothes. We meet Hearth at the door, each putting on and adjusting our masks. We walk out the door and head to the park, where the closest entrance to Yggdrisil is. The World Tree can be pretty dangerous, but for such a small trip it's not too big of a deal and we'll likely not run into any trouble. At least, that's what I tell myself.

We climb up the World Tree with no obstacles, landing in Valhalla in no time. We go to the front desk to make sure we get Sophie and Holly continuous passes to Valhalla that let others know VERY CLEARLY they are still alive and cannot be killed or they will die for real. In the halls, people sulk as they pass us, probably sad they don't get to kill us. We take the elevator up to Floor 19, where we find the others heading towards the elevator, probably for dinner. Hearth runs up to Magnus and signs something I can’t see, probably DON’T ATTACK! Because mostly no one but the inhabitants of Floor 19 go here, so multiple times we have been attacked upon getting here. Those were some unpleasant times, so now we always warn them.

Anyways, Alex is the only one who actually looks at the rest of us, and when Alex does, she beams. "Hey, guys! Look up for once. They brought their kids!" She exclaims, walking over to give each girl a hug. The others join in, and we have a wonderful night. Magnus points Sophie out as a healer, and teaches her basic first aid, while Halfborn tries to get her to join him in brutally punching the wall, to which she just giggles. Mallory and Alex decide Holly is the fighter, and teach her all sorts of basic weapons training. She particularly is good at dual-wielding katanas. Not my choice, but if she has a new way to protect herself, good. TJ even shows the girls video games, which we don't exactly have a ban on, but we don't really play. All in all, we have a great time.

Sophie is gifted with a large first aid kit, and Holly is given two long katanas which fit securely on her back under her coat, somehow easy to access. Surprisingly, both are equally excited about their own gift, but bored with the other person's. I don't know how. Around 10 pm, we have to leave. We say goodbye and step through a door and onto a branch of the World Tree.

Hearth lets out an almost soundless scream as he loses his balance. I grab his shoulders, steadying him. He turns around and kisses me, pulling my face to his in a gentle, passionate manner that tells us both we can go as slow as we want. We pull away for air and see Sophie and Holly grinning and giggling, doing a very good job at masking the noise. Most little kids would have gagged, especially at a gay couple. We must be doing something right, then.

I suddenly hear a loud whoosh and turn towards it, facing away from our daughters. Hearth, seeing my reaction even though he couldn't have heard the noise, also puts his back to the girls. We search in vain for the culprit, never finding it. Hearth grabs my hand and, a millisecond later, I hear another whooshing noise and turn back around, Hearth copying the movement. We both gasp with horror. At least 30 feet down, on each side of the same branch, our daughters hang precariously, the giant squirrel that inhabits Yggdrisil perched between them. He smirks and kicks Holly's right hand, causing her to only have her left, non-dominant hand to hang from. She is in no position to swing her hand back up, and neither girl could lift herself onto the branch without being kicked off… And if that happens… a fall from this height… means instant death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry this was so short. And for the cliff hanger. Happy Belated Mother's Day! I hope you're doing well right now during quarantine. If not, feel free to comment your issues I will listen and try to help. Try not to go insane!  
> Love  
> Lyss


	7. A Branch Away (I swear I'm killing you guys with these titles)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lets just say the Blitzstone couple is NOT good with a possibly hurt Holly or Sophie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all. Sorry for taking forever to update, my parents took away my computer for a few different days, so I couldn't write. I actually just gave up tonight and decided to right on my phone. So if theirs any issues with spelling or anything, it's because I was writing all of this on my phone. As always, all characters accept my OCs belong to Uncle Rick, I do not own this universe (Though I wouldn't complain if I did). By the way, cap locks means sign language.  
> Love  
> Lyss

HEARTH POV

Holly only has one hand to hang from. Sophie is wisely moving as little as possible, trying to scoot down the side of the branch so she can climb up. Unfortunately, she will have to reach an intersection between branches to gain the leverage, and at this rate that will take at least 5 minutes, which we don't have. 

Meanwhile, Holly’s swings get wilder and wilder as she attempts to get leverage to get back on the branch. I sign a quick I’LL GET HOLLY, YOU DISTRACT, to Blitz, who nods. We both jump down on the branch, my magic pushing me passed the squirrel, so we are on both sides of him. Blitz says “Eat chicken dirt you cumbersome pickle!” Or something along those lines, it’s hard to read lips when someone is yelling. The squirrel bounds forward, seeming completely invested in Blitz. 

I wait for a count of 5, to make sure he truly is focused on Blitz, then make bound over to Holly, who is still on the verge of falling. I manage to help her get both arms back up, but she squeals (or, to me, moves her mouth a bit), seeming to have gotten a splinter, and the squirrel turns back towards me. I have to be careful, both girls are still dangling dangerously on either side of me. Bless their stubborn little hearts, neither has cried and both are doing their best to stay silent and not attract attention. 

The squirrel charges towards me, and I wait until the very last second to move. When I do move, I put both my arms around its neck and vault myself over it. The rune I cast before, to make me fly over the squirrel, caused this to be possible. It was a jumping rune, so for the next 10 or so minutes, maybe more, I will be able to jump like a kangaroo. Anyways, I land on the squirrel' s back and start searching in my runesack for a rune that should be there. I haven't used it for a while. Meanwhile, for a few moments the squirrel is confused about where I am. Once it notices the extra weight on its back, however, it begins turning and bucking like a bull. 

I hold on with my legs, refusing to give in to the terror that grips through me. Logically, I know I could stay on safely with only my legs. However, that does not stop the irrational part of my brain from screaming at me to hold on with all my might. This leads to lots of confusion in my brain. Distantly, I recognize that I am supposed to be doing something to help our situation, but the thought is brushed away quickly, both with 'Blitz will figure it out' and 'RIDING SQUIRREL TOP PRIORITY!!!' Ah, subconsciouses are lovely.

As it turns out, Blitz DOES figure something out, if not to actually solve our problem, to distract the beast from me so that I can solve our problem. He throws an Expand-O duck straight in front of the squirrel's face. It shoves the duck off the branch angrily. All 5 of us (yes, including the squirrel) stare down at the duck until it reaches a point in which we can no longer see it. We wait for about 30 seconds, when I feel a vibration, meaning the duck hit the ground with a thud.

The squirrel looks up and snarls. Blitzen's eyes go wide a moment before he turns and bolts. But while everyone else had stopped all movements to watch the duck, I had kept my hands moving. I found the rune I need.

I toss the rune up in the air, letting it hit the back of the squirrel, which happens halfway through a bound towards Blitz. And when it hits, the squirrel becomes a block of ice. 

A second later, I realize that I didn't think this through. I'm still on the squirrel. I'm lucky I wasn't turned to ice as well, but being the caster has its benefits. I do my best to jump off the squirrel as it begins to slide on the tree branch, but I fail by slipping. Then, I realize this is the key. I push myself off, letting myself slip off the side of the beast. As I land, I kick backwards against the iced squirrel, giving it the final push it needs to slide straight off the edge. I clap my hands and sign NO ONE'S GONNA HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT FOR A WHILE. (Caps are for sign language). 

Blitz kisses me quickly. Then we turn towards our daughters. We kneel next to Sophie first, pulling her up. She is beaming. But when she looks behind us, her face falls. All she can do is point. Blitzen and I exchange a worried look before slowly turning around, towards where Holly should be. But that's the issue. She's not there. In her place, some small chunks of ice. After a moment of staring, I feel another vibration, similar to the one I felt before from the duck, but slightly more jarring, like shattered glass. Or…or shattered ice.

THERE WAS A WAIL, I see Blitz sign out of the corner of my eye. I drop to my knees. No, no, no, no no no no no no no nonononononono! NO NO NO! I scream at myself. What was I thinking? I put my head in my hands. Holly fell. She must have died. Logically. Rationally. 

But sometimes the logical part of brains can't win over the emotional part.

I take a deep breath. I stand. I raise my head high. I think: for Holly. If you're out there, I'll find you. And I step off the branch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY FOR THE CLIFF HANGER! I know that's two in a row, but I can't help myself. Hopefully I will get the chapter after this one out quickly. If anyone has any feedback on this fic, or ideas for a chapter, please let me know through the comment section. Just so you know, those comments complimenting this fic make me feel SO good, they help me get through my day, so THANK YOU!!!  
> Love  
> Lyss


	8. The Jump of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blitz is freaking out about Hearth and Holly. But, at the exact same time, Hearth is calm. Throughout the entire time, their thoughts battle each other. But in the end, when it truly matters, they couldn't agree more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! Sorry I've taken so long to post, I have been busy with school, and watching the George Floyd protests. Speaking of which, if you haven't read my comment on the last chapter about the protests, please do. I'll restate it here: I want to say that to anyone who is at the Minneapolis protest, I am with you in spirit and heart. I went to a protest in La Mesa, CA, but it got violent quick and at the first sign of tear gas my mom made us leave. In La Mess, a cop harassed a black man for no reason. I understand the fury, it courses through my veins as well. Anyone who is just vandalizing random stores though, I'd like you to think about how that's helping against racism and murder. Here's a hint: it's not. Really, it's just causing the government to think lower of us. To think we are idiots who don't know what's what. Take your anger out on the people who deserve it, instead. Think of it as a fire. Right now, when vandalizing innocent stores, innocent people's cars, you are setting fire to the wet branches that don't burn. And the goal is to get a strong fire going. Instead, you could be burning the gasoline soaked firewood, the police officers who ARE racists, who DO deserve punishment. If something must burn, make it the things that should burn, the ones that deserve to burn. I'm not saying don't take out your anger, I'm not telling you how to live your life, I'm asking for you to consider directing your anger at the place it needs to go. Sorry for the long speech thing, but seriously, no justice, no peace! All lives matter! We are all friends, not just allies, to those who are hurting. Stay safe ❤!  
> Love  
> Lyss

BLITZ POV

That didn't happen. That couldn't have happened. How could that be possible? Holly had fallen, but Hearth… he just jumped. No. It isn't possible. I crouch down and put my face in my hands. No. He loved life too much to just commit suicide. He must have had a reason. He always did. 

I break into sobs from hearing myself use the word 'did' too describe Hearth, even just in my thoughts. It just isn't allowed. As I sob, I see Sophie approach me out of the corner of my eye. She kneels in front of me and puts her arms around me. I look up into her eyes, seeing deep, soulful ones instead of young, childish eyes. Sadly, I know this isn't because she is older and disguising herself, but because she is young and finds things that adults can't begin to comprehend to be simple, understandable. 

"Daddy," she whispers, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Daddy, Papa's not gone. He's still with us. So is Holly. They're still here. And Papa wasn't giving up. He was giving voice to a feeling. We'll get through it. You and Papa always say we can do anything. Well, we can get through this. Ok?" She looks at me expectantly. I nod. Vaguely, I wonder who told her the whole thing about how people are still with us when they die. It's partially true, but it definitely feels wrong. I also question the other things she talked about, but I decide it's not worth figuring out. Grabbing Sophie’s hand, I stand and, taking a deep breath, pull Sophie along the branch.

We begin the treacherous climb home. I try to concentrate on the task at hand, pulling and pushing and walking and carrying. But these were mind numbing tasks I have done many times, things I don’t have to think about, even if I don’t know the layout of the tree. No. All my mind can go back to, time and time again, is my missing family. Ripped in half, horribly forced apart. Holly, my young daughter of 7. Gone. But mostly, Hearth. My beautiful husband. My elf. My magician. My life.

Hearth.

HEARTH POV

As I fall, I recognize that I should be worried. But something tells me I won’t die from this fall. That Sophie didn’t, either. A numbing calm overtakes me, even though I’m quite possibly falling to my death. I think over my plan for landing, how I will bend my knees and roll, just in case it helps. Then I direct my thoughts elsewhere. Blitzen. Sophie. Holly. Blitz. Sophie. Holly. Blitz. Sof. Holly. Blitz. Sophie. Holly. My husband. My girls. My family. My life.

Suddenly, I hit the ground. But…not the real ground? It's squishy. And bouncy. In fact, after bending my knees at the impact, I have now flown at least ten feet into the air. It happens again and again until they're just miniscule hops. I look around, finding myself in an atrium like room. At another glance, I realize there is a line of shocked faces. A third glance and I see just who's those are. Magnus, holding Alex's hand, both slack faced. TJ, in between Halfborn and Mallory, who were seemingly in the middle of a fight which TJ was trying to stop. All with wide eyes and gaping mouths. Finally, Holly. Completely unsurprised, she smiles, runs up to me, and gives me a bear hug, which I return with rivaling strength, smiling. She stays fierce with her hug, as though she is being a mediator. She neither smiles nor sobs, as though she expected this.

BLITZ POV

As we make our way through town, back to the house, I can't stop talking. It's not even real sentences, and everyone keeps looking at me like I'm nuts. I don't care. Hearth is gone. He's gone and Holly's gone and it is all my fault. We reach the bench that marks the entrance to our court. Sophie sets me down on it and pulls me into a fierce bear hug. I sob into her shoulder.

I note how she is holding herself. Not sobbing with me, but staying fierce. I respect her for that, but it only makes me cry harder. Usually, Hearth is my rock. I am his river. We ground each other. Sophie is neither, more of a mediator. Because no one can replace Hearth.

HEARTH POV

HEARTH? WHY ARE YOU BACK? ARE BLITZ AND SOPHIE OK? HOLLY EXPLAINED THE SITUATION, Alex and Magnus trade signing, each interjecting their own sentences and questions. They continue on like that, but mostly I ignore it.

ALL OK. HAD FEELING. FIND HOLLY THIS WAY. AM RIGHT, I sign in response. I don't answer any of the other questions they ask, such as why I fell. I just keep hugging Holly. Eventually, I realize we are on a trampoline, so we step off and I gesture for Magnus to explain. I touch a finger to his lips, not in a, shh, way, but in a, talk don't sign, way. And he does. It's hard to tell for sure what he said exactly, but my best guess goes as follows:

"So, you might remember how your girls kept asking questions. Also, so you know, Alex gave Sophie war paint. Just saying. Anyways, one of the questions Holly here asked was if we, since we're einherjar, can jump particularly high. So, after you had gone, I asked if anyone here had tried to jump high. We hadn't, so we tried. And we could jump pretty high, to answer your question, Holly. We could hit our heads on the ceiling, in fact. So Alex said we should get a trampoline and bring it into her room, to test how high we could jump with it. We put it in her room because she has so much space to jump, and since it was her idea. We had just brought it in and out it into place when Holly fell out of the sky. She just kept saying you would come, Hearth. She knew you would. Then we got her to explain how she got here. And we figured something out. Sophie and Holly? They're the twin daughters of one of the Norns. Skuld. She made an appearance quickly to claim both Holly and Sophie. Then she left," Magnus stops talking, leaving me to puzzle out how that works.

BLITZ POV

When we reach our house, I collapse on the couch. Sophie makes us hot chocolate that I'm sure is wonderful. I don't touch it. Hearth makes such good hot chocolate. I cry harder. 

Sophie turns on the news, where clips from a nearby protest are showing. A police officer killed a black man about 2 weeks ago (yes I know it was less than that but I'm going to show clips from what I think is the future) and people have been protesting every day and night against it. Except, half the protesters are just there to vandalize and break things. They are stealing from stores that don't deserve it. Burning down buildings, hurting people in the stores they pass. The police have let them run rampant through the streets and are protecting only government ground now. They don't do anything to help the people who need help, just protect themselves and their precious buildings.

If someone had got through to the protesters earlier, they might have listened to reason. But now? They won't listen to anyone. But the worst part? Three out of four of the cops involved in the murder these protests are about have still not been prosecuted. They are being fully investigated, which NEVER happens for civilians. Humans are crazy. The police keep killing and assaulting new people, too. There are videos proving the victims did nothing wrong, but it keeps happening. I wish someone could explain to everyone how to focus their anger (Oh wait, I, the author, did). The thought that everyone is so clueless makes me sob harder.

Sophie turns the TV off.

HEARTH POV

Finally, I give up puzzling out how anything that happened today is possible. Without Blitz, this information is useless to me. I can't think straight without him. So I just nod and lead Holly away. We take the long way, out the door, across the hall, down the elevator, through the main hall, passed the main desk, through the main doors to Midgard, under the arch, through the side streets of Boston, down our court, up the drive, and to the door of our home. We spend the trip in silence, without Holly or I attempting at any form of communication. I take a deep breath, and push open the front door.

Blitzen sits on the couch, his forehead pressed against his hands, which are propped up by his elbows on his legs. The dwarf has his eyes closed and doesn't even glance backwards as we walk in. Sophie walks out of the kitchen and mouths-says-something like "Daddy! Papa is back!! I told you he would be! And sissy! She's here too!" At this point Blitz has looked up and turned around to face us. For a moment he just takes me in, as if he knows I'm not real and doesn't want me to go away. Then, at the same moment, we run to each other with open arms.

We collide, and nothing else in the world matters. We hug and kiss and have half conversations with few words, mostly signed. And suddenly Holly and Sophie are with us, hugging us, and all is right in the world. I realize that we can't get separated again. At the back of my mind, I wonder if I should tell Blitz about Would, but decide against it. That could ruin this, and there are other nights. For now, I resolve to not go out again, not for anything but the necessities. We don't need to leave, it's quarantine. And right now, I don't need anything but Blitz. Blitz and Holly and Sophie. My family. My life.

Blitz. Sophie. Holly. All I could ever need in the world. 

BLITZ POV

I resolve to never again try to convince Hearth to go outside again. And to never split up. We need each other. All of us. I don't need anything but Hearth. Hearth and Holly and Sophie. My family. My life.

Hearth. Sophie. Holly. All I could ever need in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you are satisfied! That was meant to show how much better Blitz and Hearth are together than apart. I would like to say, as a reminder, that when we want something (like justice for George Floyd and others) we may have to use force. But only force against the ones who need to be forced. Not the stores on the sidelines. Not the other people. I know how long my first notes and comment on last chapter were, but please check them out. I don't mean to force anyone into any beliefs, but I don't want innocent people getting hurt. So you know, the officer who killed Mr. Floyd was a long time abuser of people of color, and he had a history with George Floyd. Contact me in the comments for more info like that, because I have done my research. Sorry for adding real world things into my writing, it's just so important to me. Stay safe!  
> Love  
> Lyss


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